Mom ran down to the gas station (perhaps for "$2 dollars worth." Guess that put about a 4th a 24 gallon tank. With four kids to clothe and feed, guess fill-er-up didn't happen too often. Every sunday morning, either mom or dad would go for a paper. My parents weren't into church - period. i recall hearing on the (am) radio beautiful music and beautiful voices, and somehow knowing that lovely moment wouldn't last.
Mom changed the station; on that station, was another church service - maybe a song, or maybe a sermon. Mom punched the small keyboard again, and found the one of two stations that, on Sunday morning, was neither playing church music nor a sermon/newscast. Mom found a station playing (early) MoTown music. Mom was never into either MoTown or Rock-and-roll; she liked the easy listening music (Frank Sinatra and i guess Perry Como, and probably Ray Coniff). But i guess MoTown was easier on the ear than a (KJB) hymn or sermon - which might have lasted the best end of an hour.
What i clearly remember is, few retail businesses were open. Drug stores (and probably the truck stop) and a few gas stations - which was where Mom had run in for that paper, and left the car running...with us kids in it.
Yeah, things have changed. Funny isn't it. When radio stations played hymns and sermons on Sunday mornings, the last thing a parent needed to worry about, was leaving the kids sit in the car by themselves for two minutes.
I remember the 60s too. My mom always put on church services that came on the radio on Sundays. Then again on Sunday nights. I don't recall us going places on Sundays because like you said, businesses were closed. I missed those days.
ReplyDeleteDear Regina, back in the mid 80s (i wasn't a Christian at the time) i worked sundays at a nice department store. Sunday hours were 12 to 5, and few customers came to the store. They expanded the hours from 11 to 6, still few customers. These days, i don't go to department stores on Sunday, but i understand sunday is like any other day. Mom didn't shop sundays either, she was neither religious or political, she just believed that store employees needed a day off.
ReplyDelete